NASCAR Canadian Tire Series Announces Schedule For 2008

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (February 19, 2008) – Coming off a very successful first season, the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series presented by Sirius Satellite Radio is set for more exciting action in 2008. Packed grandstands and final lap heroics were the norm a year ago, while this season a spirited battle for rookie-of-the-year honors along with Andrew Ranger’s title defense will only heighten the excitement.

The 13-race schedule, which kicks off Saturday, May 24 at Cayuga International Speedway, virtually will cover Canada from coast-to-coast. Over the course of the year, the series will visit 11 tracks in five provinces culminating with the crowning of the 2008 champion on Saturday, Sept. 27 at Kawartha Speedway.

Also on the schedule is a return trip to the demanding 1.973-mile road course of Grand Prix Edmonton. Last year over 60,000 fans saw J.R. Fitzpatrick overtake Ranger, who had led the entire race, on the white flag lap for the victory.

The Canadian Tire Series will also run in conjunction with the NASCAR Nationwide Series, Grand-Am Rolex Series, and KONI Challenge in 2008.

TSN, Canada’s leading sports network, once again will provide unparalleled coverage by televising one-hour broadcasts of racing action from each event in High Definition. The broadcast schedule will be announced in the coming weeks.

"The inaugural season in 2007 exceeded all expectations and quickly established the NASCAR Canadian Tire Series as the premier stock car racing series in Canada," said George Silbermann, NASCAR Managing Director of Racing Operations. "The 2008 calendar builds on those successes and sets the stage for another exciting coast-to-coast championship."

• Autodrome St-Eustache is new to the Canadian Tire Series schedule in 2008. The track is in its third year as part of the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series, NASCAR’s North American short-track racing series.

• On June 14-15, the series will run at Mosport International Raceway in Bowmanville, Ontario at the facility’s 2.5-mile, 10-turn road course. The race is part of an eventful Father’s Day weekend along with the KONI Challenge Series.

• In July, the series will make its western swing, with races at SunValley Speedway in Vernon, B.C. and at the Grand Prix Edmonton in Alberta. SunValley Speedway is a 1/2-mile oval and a featured track for the NASCAR Whelen All-American Series.

• Race fans can circle August 1 and 2 on their calendar. This is the race in conjunction with the NASCAR Nationwide Series at Circuit Gilles Villeneuve in Montreal. A season ago, over 130,000 fans made their way to Île Notre Dame over the course of the huge two-day event.

• The Grand Prix de Trois-Rivieres, slated for August 15-17, is once again a highlight on the schedule. This year, the Canadian Tire Series event will take place on Sunday afternoon.

• The Sept. 20 trip to Riverside International Speedway in Antigonish, Nova Scotia is a much-anticipated date. The track is a 1/3-mile scale version of the legendary Bristol (Tenn.) Motor Speedway.